Powell: True Blue or Unbelievable?

The very unkind Nov. 16 article on the resignation of Secretary of State Colin Powell, “Great Promise, Muted Results,” ignores the primary reason for his behavior and actions. Powell was, above all else, a soldier. As a loyal soldier, he served out his enlistment, remaining through the one term he had promised the president, obeyed orders, followed the rules, was loyal and did not publicly oppose his superiors. He remained a gentleman and exhibited the highest moral character. Apparently neither trait is recognized in today’s society as making a “success.”

E. Norman George

Redondo Beach

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I just read that Powell, the soon-to-be ex-secretary of State, has warned us that he has intelligence reports about Iran working on nuclear weapons (Nov. 18). Given his ludicrous performance at the U.N., wherein he made provably false claims that Saddam Hussein had all sorts of weapons of mass destruction, why should we believe him now? Not that Iran couldn’t be working on such a program, but Powell’s credibility went down the tubes years ago. And he was one of the more honest members of the Bush administration.

Bob Loza

Burbank